The Dread

The Dread was a large steam-powered ship, fuelled by burning oil. The ship could carry over 240 tonnes of oil on a single journey, and boasted three large funnels for the steam produced by burning the oil to escape from. It was almost 200 feet long, and had at least twelve bedrooms, a mess room, a galley, and an engine room on its lower decks.

In 1897, The Dread caught fire in Cardiff Bay. The resultant blaze destroyed any trace of the ship and its crew, and the oil spilling into the water created a large ecological disaster. Thousands of birds, including entire populations of cormorants, guillemots, razorbills, puffins, and kittiwakes, were killed across a 122-mile stretch of Welsh coastline. (PROSE: Black Water)